15 NHL Stars Who Just Don't Look the Part

As the 2011-12 NHL season moves into November there are many star players who must play better for their teams.

Stars such as Nathan Horton, Henrik Zetterberg and Roberto Luongo have not played well thus far and must improve as soon as possible.

While some of these under performing stars will come around in the near future, some don't look like their heading in the right direction anytime soon.

Let's look at some NHL stars who just don't look the part.

For updates on all NHL news throughout the season, follow Nick Goss on Twitter. Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.

Milan Lucic

Milan Lucic has not looked good this season and is not playing with the normal passion and physical play that Bruins fans are used to seeing from their star.

Lucic needs to play better on the power play and has to play with a higher intensity. He is at his best when he is physical, and not only does it make his game better, his teammates feed off the emotion as well.

Just three goals thus far from someone who scored 30 last season isn't good enough.

Henrik Zetterberg

Henrik Zetterberg has three points in nine games for the Detroit Red Wings, which is unlike him. Zetterberg also has a minus-four rating.

Zetterberg is one of the best players in the NHL, and there's no way he is regressing this season. Zetterberg will return to his normal star form soon.

Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo has had a poor season thus far and has been subject to lots of criticism. Although this is nothing new for Luongo, the Vancouver Canucks have a real dilemma on their hands: Should the Canucks start talented young goalie Cory Schneider in net and maybe trade Luongo?

Luongo's 3.54 GAA and his .869 save percentage are terrible numbers for someone who is always a Vezina Trophy candidate.

Kevin Bieksa

Kevin Bieksa had a great season last year, and the Vancouver Canucks decided to sign him to a contract extension this summer instead of Christian Ehrhoff.

Bieksa hasn't played well this season, and he has not helped out Roberto Luongo in net very much. He's currently a minus-seven and needs to play better for the Canucks defense moving forward.

Nathan Horton

Nathan Horton has not been able to carry the success he had in the playoffs last season into this year and has been a major disappointment thus far for the Boston Bruins.

Horton has two goals this season and has not performed well for the abysmal Bruins power play. 

Horton has not been as physical on the ice as he needs to be, and because of his offensive struggles, he was even ousted from the team's top line.

If the Bruins offense is going to improve, Horton has to play better.

Kyle Okposo

Kyle Okposo has just three assists and no goals this season for the New York Islanders. The Islanders have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference and have lost five straight games.

Okposo needs to start scoring goals for the Islanders if they want to make a run at the playoffs.

Ville Leino

Ville Leino got a nice long-term contract this summer from the Buffalo Sabres and has been a big disappointment thus far.

He has just one goal and one assist, and he is a minus-four.

Leino must player better to help the Sabres offense and prove he deserved the contract he received in the summer.

Dustin Penner

Through nine games, Dustin Penner has just one assist and has not scored a goal yet. He's also a minus-one.

The Los Angeles Kings need Penner to step up if they want to compete in a competitive Western Conference.

Penner also needs to stay out of the penalty box; his 21 PIM leads the team.

Ilya Bryzgalov

Ilya Bryzgalov was supposed to be the missing piece to the Philadelphia Flyers' Stanley Cup puzzle, but thus far, he hasn't played well.

After an opening season win against the Boston Bruins in which he played quite well, Bryzgalov is now 4-4-1 with a 3.16 GAA and a .880 save percentage.

Those are not stats that a star goalie should have a on a quality team.

Zach Bogosian

Zach Bogosian is a great talent, but he has not played well for the Winnipeg Jets so far this season.

Through 10 games, Bogosian has just two assists and is a minus-six. He has to play better for the Jets to get going offensively.

The Jets have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, and they need players like Bogosian and captain Andrew Ladd to improve as soon as possible.

David Krejci

David Krejci led the 2011 NHL playoffs in points and goals, but he has not played well this season. Even though he's been hurt a bit this year, in seven games, Krejci has just one goal and is a minus-five.

He has no assists this season despite being the best passer on the team and playing mostly on the first line.

Krejci has to be better for the Bruins to recover from their 3-7 start to the season, and as a free agent next season, he has a lot of money at stake for himself to make next summer or sooner.

Jaroslav Halak

Jaroslav Halak is the No. 1 goalie for the St. Louis Blues, but he might not be for long. Halak has a 1-5 record this season with a 3.58 GAA.

The Blues need good goaltending to make the playoffs, and Halak must play better of he will lose his starting job.

With a save percentage of .843, Halak needs to find some consistent success soon or the Blues' season will plummet.

Eric Staal

Eric Staal has just five points for the Carolina Hurricanes—three goals and two assists—and must play better offensively to lead his team back to the playoffs.

Staal is also a minus-13, which is not good for someone who normally plays well defensively and gets a lot of ice time.

The Hurricanes should not be worried about Staal; he will come into form very soon. He's too talented to not play like a superstar consistently.

Erik Cole

Erik Cole has just four points this season for the Montreal Canadiens, who, as a team, got off to a poor start but are starting to play better as of late.

Cole is also a minus-two and isn't playing like a top six forward who is making $4.5 million per season.

He needs to play better for the Canadiens, because they cannot afford any more forwards with bad contracts.

Zdeno Chara

Zdeno Chara hasn't played too poorly this season, but he has been inconsistent. Chara is also tied for the team lead with 29 penalty minutes.

Chara is the Bruins captain and leader, and the team needs him on the ice and not in the penalty box.

For the Bruins to get out of their early-season slump, Chara needs to set the tone and bring back the physical play and strong defensive skills that helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup last season.

For updates on all NHL news throughout the season, follow Nick Goss on Twitter. Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.